Global Classmates

Online Collaborative Learning with Peers Abroad

Kizuna Across Cultures (KAC) facilitates the bilingual exchange program that connects high school English class in Japan with high school Japanese class in the United States. Taking place in their everyday classroom, students become classmates with their peers abroad. Through the six months exchange, students develop friendship, deepen their understanding of each other and their own culture, and cultivate practical language skills.

Program Details

Following the program application and selection process, selected high schools in the U.S. and Japan are paired up with one another to engage in the 6-month program from September to February on a learning management website. Facilitated by teachers, students in language classes engage with each other using both Japanese and English, exchanging messages, photos, and videos on a variety of topics. They begin by getting to know each other as individuals through familiar topics, then deepen their understanding of each other’s backgrounds through cultural topics. Next, we encourage them to challenge themselves by discussing social issues. Through collaborative learning, they not only improve their language skills but also broaden their perspectives, developing the skills to understand and communicate effectively with those from different backgrounds.
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Omiyage Gift Exchange

The students exchange physical gifts with their partner classmates during the program. The students are thrilled to hold the gift that their partner classmates have thoughtfully prepared and shipped across the ocean. They not only enjoy receiving the gift but they also enjoy seeing the reaction of their partner classmates opening the gift that they had picked out for them.

Live Video Call

Many of the pairs conduct a live video call in addition to the regular interaction that takes place on the exchange platforms. Students are excited to have the opportunity to see their partner classmates and talk to them live. Through the live video call, they deepen their connection, demonstrate their speaking skills, and increase their motivation to study the language.

Video Koshien

Video Koshien is a competition where each school creates a short video on a central theme in the language that they are studying. Students normally only interact with their partner school during the program; however, in Video Koshien, they are able to watch the videos created by all of the schools. We hope to foster the students ability to transmit information through audio and video, while promoting a more diverse and deeper understanding of culture through viewing the videos produced by schools from a variety of backgrounds.
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Coordinator and Senpai Support

KAC assigns a Coordinator to each school pair to ensure the success of the exchange. The Coordinators, who are bilingual and knowledgeable about cross-cultural communication, assist teachers in all aspects of the program, from planning activities to facilitating communication between the teachers. In addition, a bilingual Senpai is also assigned to each school pair. As student interns who are trained by KAC, Senpai serve as a role model for the participating students and interact with them online to liven the exchange.
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